From Homeless Thief To Vampire Queen
by Coolio101
Summary: This week started out normally enough. Then I was dragged to Italy due to Mike Newton being a starstruck idiot, almost turned into dinner, became an arsonist, and forced to choose between death and immortality. My name is Bella Swan and this is my story.
1. Mike Newton Leads Me To My Doom

**A/N: To all the people who are currently reading this, thanks for stopping to check out this new story idea of mine. Recently I've been obsessed with an Aro/Bella pairing…so yeah, here goes. Bella in this story is totally OOC…one of the reasons why I love reading fanfics with Bella in them- because there are so many different versions of her. I sincerely hope you enjoy reading this and continue reading it- hope I don't disappoint!**

BPOV

"Stop! Catch that girl!" The sharp cries of the policeman who was currently chasing me echoed down the dark alleys of Seattle as I ducked and sprinted around innocent tourists and suspicious seedy looking men leering at me. I pushed my legs to go faster, all the while glancing behind me. The unnamed policeman was still too close for comfort. Straight ahead of me was a row of garbage cans. As I reached them, I stuck out my foot and kicked the closest to me. It tumbled over, knocking the rest of them down with it just as I turned left abruptly into an abandoned warehouse, the policeman's curses following trailing behind me. Laughing out loud at the mental image in my head of Mr. Uptight Policeman covered in sour milk, banana peels and potato skins, I clutched the bag of stolen groceries tightly in my arms, exited the warehouse through the back door, and made my way 'home'.

It was ironic, I thought as I made my way back to Jake's house, how my biological father, Charlie, had been an officer of the law, and here I am on the other side of it, one of the people he would have been paid to catch had he still been alive. Then again, had he still been alive, Renee wouldn't have ever gone out with that jerk Phil, wouldn't have gotten hooked on cocaine and heroin, and I probably would have never been in this mess to begin with. I sighed- I seriously needed to stop dwelling on this 'could have been' shit. That stuff never kept anyone alive. To keep my mind occupied, I started looking through the bag of heaven that I stole. Inside were a few apples, some ground beef, a bag of hamburger buns, a couple celery sticks, some juice boxes and a box of Twinkies for Jake. I never took much-only enough to keep me going- and I only took things that cost no more than five bucks. Just because I shoplift occasionally doesn't mean I don't have a conscience. Making my way into the cheap, roach infested, paint peeling, overall crappy apartment that Jake owned, I hollered out that I was back, before plopping down on the moth-eaten ancient red sofa that had probably been around since the birth of Christ. I can't complain though- if it wasn't for Jake teaching me how to avoid cops, pick locks and offer me a place to stay, I'd probably still be sleeping on the streets and picking through garbage for scraps to eat. Not that what I was eating now was much better- I barely weighed 95 pounds soaking wet- but at least what I was eating was somewhat fresh.

"Woohoo!" Jake hooted as he entered the room in only a skimpy towel around his waist that barely covered his man-bits. I was probably either asexual or a lesbian for never being attracted to Jake- and God knows he was attracted to me for some incomprehensible reason- but his rugged features, panty-dropping smile, dark beautiful eyes, and golden-bronze skin, courtesy of his Native American heritage, just never did it for me. He was, however, probably the closest thing I had to a friend and I knew that I could never repay him for taking me back to his place and keeping me from freezing to death two years ago.

"Twinkies! You rock, Bella!" He cheered, his eyes locked on his own personal brand of Scooby Doo dog treats. I rolled my eyes. "I don't know why I keep getting those for you; I'm probably contributing to your early death by heart failure doing so. They're nothing more than a bunch of sugar, artificial crap and saturated fat mixed together."

"Don't badmouth the Twinkies," Jake said seriously, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. "They are God's gift to men. You should seriously try some" he glanced at my emancipated form disapprovingly "it'd fatten you up a little."

"Okay, I'm not even going to mention how much you just sounded like the cannibalistic witch from Hansel and Gretel right there, and go on to say that you better hand me that cigarette now before I whoop your ass. You know I can do it," I said threateningly. After what happened with Renee, I couldn't stand people doing any kind of drugs, tobacco included. Jake knew this, he just didn't know _why_ and I wasn't about to tell him anytime soon.

"Aww, Bells," he whined, but handed the cigarette over. Smart guy. I still wasn't satisfied though- leaning over, I quickly swiped his lighter too, making him glare at me. It might have intimidated me if I actually gave a damn. Putting the lighter away in the back pocket of my jeans, I told him calmly, "They were going to kill you if the Twinkies didn't. Just think of it as a friend helping a friend."

"That was my Grandpa's lighter! Do you know how much that cost? You can't just go around swiping family heirlooms!" Jake exploded.

"Oh, was that the Grandpa who died of lung cancer? Don't worry Jake, I'm sure he won't mind. In fact, I bet he's up there in heaven right now giving me a thumbs up for saving his grandson." I answered cheekily. At his downcast expression, my heart softened a little.

"Aw, Jake, I'm sorry. You know how I am about smoking of any kind." I said apologetically. He looked up and grinned.

"I know, and besides you're probably right. It would have killed me sooner or later." I didn't buy his innocent expression nor nor did I trust the mischievous twinkle in his eyes. He'd be smoking another pack of Marlboros as soon as my back was turned. Well, whatever. Just as long as he didn't do it in front of me, I was fine with it. Grabbing an apple, I went outside for a walk. The sun was setting, casting ghostly shadows everywhere. In this part of Seattle, it was dangerous for most people, especially women, to be walking around at night, which was why I always carried a switchblade with me. Jake had always joked that I didn't need it, insisting that my senses were as sharp as a mountain lion's, It was true that my instincts were much sharper than a normal person's, probably due to my years of living on the streets. You don't survive like that without getting beaten, raped or killed unless you're alert all the time, almost to the point of paranoia. To my right I heard the sound of someone scuffling through trash and turned around, recognizing the starved boy in front of me. Mike Newton was the middle child of three, with an older brother named Tom and a younger sister named Sarah. Their father had abandoned them and their mother shortly after Sarah was born. Their mom, Anne, worked three jobs that somehow still wasn't enough to feed the four of them. As a result, Mike and his siblings were often found sifting through garbage in an attempt to appease the gnawing hunger that I knew only too well. Of course, there was the Salvation Army, but they could only cater to so many people.

"Bella?" Mike squinted- as if his destitute poverty wasn't enough, the poor boy needed glasses and had no way of getting them. "Is that you?"

"Hey Mike." His face lit up. Even half blind and seven years younger at 14, the kid had a huge crush on me somewhat reminiscent of the adoring devotion a puppy shows its owner when presented with a treat. "Bella?" He asked hopefully.

"What is it, Mike?" I sighed, knowing the chances were 10 to 1 that he was going to ask for some food. In the six months since I had known him, I never once had the heart to refuse him.

"Are you going to eat the rest of your apple?"

"Nah, you can have it if you want." See what I mean? Mike beamed up at me, reaching for the half-eaten apple. Before he had a chance to take a bite out of it, a bone-chilling scream of agony reached my ears. Mike turned around and started sprinting towards the sound. I followed him- I couldn't just let him get himself killed, could I? After running a couple minutes, we came upon a man and a woman. All at once, every cell in my body was screaming at me to get away as fast and far as possible. Only once in my life had I felt anything close to this strong and that situation had ended up with…well let's not go into that right now. I was just about to flee as fast as my legs could take me when Mike leaped at the man, sending them both tumbling in a heroic attempt to save the beautiful woman not ten feet away from us.

"Idiot boy," I cursed under my breath, before jumping in to help Mike. Pulling Mike off the guy, I froze. The unknown guy's face was twisted in agony. Before I could do anything else, he went limp. I dropped him like he burned me watching as he fell to the ground. Dead.

"Oh my god," Mike whimpered from behind me. I turned to find him looking at his hands like in horror. "Oh, dear God, I just killed a man. I killed a man, Bella, I'm going to get sent to hell, someone save me…" Mike was now in hysterics so I stepped forward and slapped him across the cheek. He fell silent, looking at me in shock. I shook my head, silently warning him that now was not the best time to be in shock. I had to get us as far away from the mystery woman as possible. There was something about her, this overall situation that just…didn't fit quite right-like the way we'd heard a scream of pain, yet there didn't appear to be so much as a scratch on the woman, or the way the man's face was contorted in agony before he died, or the way he just dropped dead- I mean, there was no way that Mike could have just killed the man. Looking down at the corpse in front of me, I estimated that he had weighed between 180 and 200 pounds…there was no way that a teenage boy who barely weighed half that much could have killed him, unless he had a knife or a gun or something. Mike didn't know how to use either. Before I could get the hell out of there, the woman spoke.

"Won't you at least allow me to get you two kids something to eat?" She asked sweetly. Her voice was like silky chocolate that just melted in your mouth-irresistible and incredibly sensual. Finally taking a good look at her, I saw that her face was every bit as lovely as her voice. Her hair was in long, lustrous curls that framed her teardrop face perfectly. Her skin was as pale as freshly fallen snow- unusual- people generally preferred to be tan- but it suited her. Her eyes were the most curious shade of violet- as if a painter had mixed together a light blue with a blood red. Her expression was innocent…too innocent. I didn't trust her.

"Actually, we really must be going," I began, but she cut me off.

"It's the least I could do. You two hu- I mean kids did _save_ me after all." Her lips twisted into a smile so charming it almost hurt to look at it.

"Thank you, but," I started again, but was cut off, this time by Mike.

"Bella, can't we just let her get us something? It's what she wants, after all." He sounded dazed. I turned to him frowning- okay, I get that she was gorgeous, but _come on!_ The woman flashed us another stunning smile, motioning for us to follow her. Mike trailed behind her like a lost puppy, leaving me no choice but to follow. As I reluctantly walked by Mike's side, still trying to come up with ways to get Mike to snap out of it and leave with me, the woman suddenly turned to us. "Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself," she said cheerfully, "I'm Heidi."

**A/N: Leave me a review if you want me to continue! To answer some questions, Bella is twenty one and she's been through some things that have left her with a feel for danger. She's been on the streets since she was seventeen, and Jake found her when she was nineteen, about to freeze to death in an alley, and took her to his home. Despite her hard demeanor, she cares deeply for Jake and Mike. Thanks for reading and please review.**


	2. Saved By Bobby Pins and Airvents

**A/N: A big thank you for all those who put me on story alert/favorite story or reviewed! I'm thrilled- I've never gotten such a big response on a first chapter before. I hope you all continue reading the story, and enjoy this chapter.**

BPOV

The back of my neck tingled unpleasantly as Heidi led us down another alley. I had to constantly wipe my hands on my jeans to keep myself from sweating like a pig- never a good sign.

"Uh, where are we going, exactly?" I finally asked a few minutes after my hands had started to twitch like I had a nervous complex. She didn't reply and after a few moments stopped in front of a bus.

Inside, I could see people moving about. The door to the bus suddenly opened and revealed two men- both with the same striking beauty as Heidi, the same pale white skin and strange eyes. The man on the right was huge and looked like he could be a pro football player. He had curly light brown hair, and a sly impish grin. When he caught me looking at him, he winked. I scowled back. The one on the left looked more serious. With, cold, calculating eyes, a hardened face, and a cruel smirk, he struck me as the most dangerous one of the three. Whereas the man on the right looked the strongest physically, and Heidi was the most beautiful, the guy on the left looked like he would kill without hesitation. I disliked him immediately and took a step back. His smirk widened.

"Felix, Demetri," Heidi greeted them calmly.

"Heidi," Felix grinned. "Only two tonight? C'mon, you can do better than that." Heidi cast him a warning look, glancing at me. "I stopped for a snack, and we've got enough, besides."

"You did good, though," Demetri said. "They smell…delicious, considering where they come from. Especially the girl- simply mouthwatering." As he ushered us inside, I tried to covertly sniff myself. I looked at him in confusion- all I could smell was dirt, sweat, and Twinkies, so either the guy had a messed up sense of smell or his nose was broken. Whatever- I wasn't going to complain. If he thought I smelt like roses, what did I care?

As I had thought, there were people inside; I guessed about twenty from the looks of it. I turned to ask Heidi where we were going, but before I could ask, she was gone. Mike had ditched me, and was now sitting next to a boy with some semi-serious acne, thick framed glasses, and black greasy hair. So I plopped myself down next to a plump, middle aged lady who smelled like bad perfume and too many cats.

"So, you got picked too?" She asked, smiling at me. I glanced at her warily, before saying, "I guess you can say that. So how did you come to be here?" Really, I was trying to find out why the hell we were all here sitting on some crappy bus.

"Oh, well that nice gentleman up there," she pointed to Felix, "he offered me a free trip to Italy."

"Come again?" I asked, not quite sure I was hearing correctly. _Italy?_ And here I was just trying to keep Newton out of trouble.

"Oh yes," she gushed. "Wonderful, isn't it? Well it turns out he's from a nice family- _very_ rich, I hear. So anyway, with all his money, he and his siblings wanted to do something nice for people who usually can't afford to. So they came up with this plan to seek out people who are having trouble financially, and offer them a trip of a lifetime."

"And you just _agreed _to this?" I asked, aghast. I mean, Jesus, I can accept a small gift of gratitude, but a trip to _Italy?_

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" She asked, confused. At that moment, I realized her eyes were somewhat clouded over- and her voice was dazed, like Mike's. I frowned in confusion- what the hell was going on? Was I so paranoid that I was imagining this stuff? _Then again, you did get on a bus full of total strangers that is apparently headed for Italy._ I stood up quickly.

"Excuse me," I said to the cat lady, and went to find Mike who was chatting happily with his new friend about the same thing I had just found out.

"Oh, hey Bella," he said looking up. "This is Eric Yorkie." I ignored him and his friend who waved at me tentatively.

"Mike, we have to go," I said urgently. He looked at me incredulously.

"_Go?_ Are you kidding me, Bella? We've been offered a trip to _Europe_ and you expect me to _go_?"

"Mike, something's wrong. Don't you think this whole business is just a bit fishy, this lady we met twenty minutes ago offering a trip to Italy of all places, out of the blue?" I hissed. Mike looked at me coldly.

"Bella, nothing's wrong. Stop being so full of yourself. You don't really think this is some grand plot to kidnap us or something, do you? What would they want us for? We've got no money; there's nothing they could gain by kidnapping us. So just shut up and appreciate the fact that something good is actually happening to us for once, someone is being nice to us, without being so damn paranoid about it! Not everyone is out to kill you, Bella!" I jerked back as if I'd been slapped. To make matters worse, the bus started moving. No getting out now- I was already in deep, why not just dig myself a bigger hole? As I sat back down, I noticed Heidi and Demetri looking at me curiously. I glared at them. "What are you looking at?" I muttered sullenly, turning away and looking out the bus window at the rain that was now falling steadily down outside in the dreary streets of Seattle.

We stopped half an hour later at a private airport. Figures Brawn, Brains and Beauty, as I had so affectionately dubbed them, would own a private airport with a private jet. I had given up on trying to run away, and instead seated myself close to Brawn, Brains and Beauty on the jet trying to figure out what exactly they were up to. I wasn't about to leave without Mike, because as much of a jerk he just was to me, I knew I would hate myself forever if something happened to him and I didn't do anything to prevent it because I was too busy being a coward. Not to mention the kid was only fourteen and going through puberty- he was allowed to be a douche sometimes. As I sat in the seat right behind Felix, innocently sipping the orange juice the flight attendant had so thoughtfully provided and digging into a bag of trail mix, I tried to lean forward subtly to listen to what they were saying. It didn't work too well- they spoke so fast the words sometimes meshed together, and I caught only snatches of their conversation. What I heard only made my curiosity flare further.

"…can't believe we had to fly all the way out here to get some food…" Felix

"…you know how Caius is…" Demetri

"…terribly picky about his humans…" Heidi

"…dibs on the girl, Heidi…" Felix

After a few more minutes of listening, and retaining absolutely no useful information, I gave up and ordered a packet of pretzels. Many hours and a long, restless nap later, we arrived in Italy. It was all so surreal- I was constantly trying to determine if I was awake or not. I had to admit, this shit was far-fetched, even for my fucked up life. As I yawned and looked out the window, my breath caught. In the airplane, I had a bird eye's view of the most _enchanting_ city I had ever seen in my life. The city was enclosed in high, citadel walls, and I could see tiny cars driving back and forth across the ancient roads. Just outside the city was a huge castle, antique and ornate with intimidating stone walls.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Heidi murmured from behind me. I startled a bit before replying.

"It's like something out of a dream," I said softly, "Magnificent, and glorious all at once."

"Wait till you see the castle," she said, grinning slyly. "It's an experience you'll never forget, I promise you."

"I don't doubt it," I said somewhat uneasily. Something about her tone implied something I wasn't sure I was getting, but I decided to ignore that feeling for now. Everyone else started waking as well as soon as the plane landed. As we got off the plane, I noticed Heidi, Demetri and Felix putting on long, dark robes that completely covered every inch of their skin. A tourist bus was waiting for us; the driver also had snowy-white skin and was wearing the same dark robes-maybe it was an Italian thing? I sat a couple seats in front of Mike and Eric on the bus. Heidi went into tour guide mode, pointing out various points of interest. I tuned her out, focusing instead on the scenery outside, until something she said caught my interest.

"And finally, up ahead is the Volturi Castle. With a history over three thousand years old, the castle currently belongs to the descendants of the legendary St. Marcus, who was rumored to have driven out all the vampires from the city two thousand years ago. The city of Volterra granted St. Marcus the castle in gratitude. It's also our last destination, and my home," she said, smiling proudly. A few people gasped in awe- even I was surprised. The bus stopped in front of the castle, and all of a sudden, the splendor and excitement of the castle vanished. I nearly doubled over hyperventilating as the feeling of dread, which had been present in my chest since I first laid eyes on Heidi, tripled ten times over, almost crushing me with the weight of it. I could almost smell it, taste it on my tongue, the stench of blood and death, could almost hear the cries of lost souls echoing from within the hateful stone walls. Yet at the same time, I felt a pull to the castle that didn't allow me to turn and run like I wanted to. Frustrating? Very- half of me wanted to sprint and hide behind some trees while another pulled at me, trying to push me towards the castle. I felt like my heart was being split in two…so I just stood there like a moron while everyone else went inside.

"Miss? Are you alright?" The driver, who I now saw looked no older than fifteen, frowned at me in confusion. It said something about my state of distress that I felt nothing over the fact that I had just gotten into a bus with an underage teenager driving.

"I'm…fine. Just…give me a moment, okay?" I gasped out, leaning against the side of the bus.

"There's a first aid station inside if you need any help," the boy said smoothly.

"That's good," I muttered, finally pulling myself together and marching towards the castle, "Help…I need all the help I can get." Driver Boy- as I had named him- led me towards the castle where I caught up with Heidi and the rest of the tour group. Heidi raised a questioning eyebrow at me, to which I just shook my head in reply. After about half an hour of nonstop "and this here is a vase from the Renaissance period"s and "here is an exact replica of the Mona Lisa"s with Alec, Demetri and Felix piping in occasionally (which I mostly ignored as the pull in my chest/desire to flee was getting stronger), she stopped in front of a pair of huge, ornate wooden doors. "And finally, the last room on the tour- the dining hall. I hope you enjoy it as well as we do." Heidi announced, smiling as she threw open the doors. All of a sudden, the feeling in my chest stopped. I didn't welcome the peace like I'd thought I would- it felt eerie, like the calm before a storm. As I looked up, I realized why- because standing on top of a balcony stretching out into the room was _him._ I knew instinctively that the man before me…well, sort of, he was on a balcony fifteen feet higher than where I was standing…his ruby eyes twinkling with wisdom and amusement taking in the sight below him contently, shoulder-length raven-black hair framing his face, one corner of his perfect lips turned slightly up, his entire being just oozing sensuality and power…was the reason for the annoying pull in my chest I'd been feeling for the past hour or so. As he turned his head slightly and his eyes met mine, my breathing picked up, the connection between us terrifying me. I found myself wanting to run yet unable to turn away as his gaze held me captive.

The piercing screams around me snapped me out of it.

My eyes widened as I took in the scene around me- it was like something out of a bad horror movie. I froze for a moment as I watched Heidi leap forward, faster than a striking cobra, and sink her teeth into the neck of the cat lady I'd sat next to on the bus. Then, I did the thing I'd wanted to do for almost two days straight- I ran. Grabbing Mike by one hand, Eric by the other, I sprinted away, looking frantically for an exit. Complete chaos broke out as people rushed past me, pounding frantically on the doors we'd come in through before realizing what I'd already guessed- the doors were locked. By the time they'd come to that realization though, it was already too late- they were being picked off like flies. "Come on, _come on_," I muttered. There _had_ to be another exit- there were at least ten vampires that had most definitely not been in here two minutes ago…my eyes lighted on a small door across the room and mentally began calculating the chances that we would make it. I had to admit, they weren't great.

"Follow me," I hissed to Mike and Eric, who looked to be in shock. Sprinting across the room, I looked back only once- just in time to see a little girl cry out as her mother was ripped brutally from her clinging arms. A second later, a loud crack echoed through the huge room and the little girl's eyes went blank as another vampire snapped her spine and drank from her. I forced my eyes to look away as I finally made it to the door only to find it locked.

"Fuck!" I cursed, kicking the door hard. Turning to Mike and Eric, I shouted, "Cover me!" before ripping the two bobby pins, the only kind of accessory I ever wore, out of my hair. Twisting them, I shoved them into the keyhole, poking around until I heard the lock give. A hoarse cry from behind me told me Eric didn't make it, and as I yanked the door open, a similar one told me Mike hadn't either. Whipping out my switchblade, I stabbed the vamp, who, surprise of surprises, turned out to be Felix straight in the left eye. He staggered back, shocked, and I took the opportunity to stab him in his other eye for good measure, before taking off like a bat out of hell.

_Shit, shit, shit_, I chanted inside my head, as I sprinted down another corridor. My heart was pounding, and I was relying entirely on instinct, I had no idea where the hell I was in the castle, and the only thing I could think of was vampires were real and I should really just trust my gut feelings a lot more. Speaking of gut feelings, they were currently telling me that it was only a matter of time before I was caught. Turning left, I ducked into yet another room before stopping to catch my breath. As I leaned against the wall panting, I noticed with interest that the walls were entirely covered with tapestries. Not just any tapestries either- these showed what could only have been vampires in war. As I took a closer look, I noticed that I recognized some of the vampires- I saw Felix standing triumphantly next to a pillar of purple smoke, Driver boy surrounded by some strange white mist, Demetri with his teeth in his enemy's neck…not to mention in every scene, the vampires in cloaks were only too obviously the victor. I walked around until I came to the largest tapestry in the center of the room. In it, three vampires were sitting on thrones. There was a bored looking one with wavy dark hair, a blonde one with a callous, cold sneer on his face, and in the center…I grimaced with rage as I looked at _him._ Sitting there with a kind, understanding look on his face holding a scepter in his right hand, he looked the very image of royalty, of justice. Only it _wasn't_ justice. None of this was. _Justice_ was not luring innocents to their deaths. _Justice_ was not killing cat ladies, no matter how annoying they might be. _Justice_ was not Eric and Mike dying. And most of all, _justice_ wasn't the look of terror on that little girl's face as her mother was ripped from her, nor was it the sound of her spine snapping. A growing sense of urgency in the pit of my stomach distracted me from my fury for a moment, warning me that time was running out. Running my hands through my jean pockets for something, _anything_ to help me, I pulled out a familiar lighter and smiled wistfully- even when he wasn't here, Jake had still managed to find a way to save me. Pulling it out, I lit the tapestry of _him_ on fire with no hesitation, smirking in satisfaction as I watched it burn…before walking around the room and lighting all the other tapestries on fire too. Slipping the lighter back into my back pocket as the flames began to spread, I prepared to run out the exit…only to slam it shut again at the sight of two figures headed my way. I opened the door I had come in from just in time to hear quiet voices chatting sinisterly much too close for my comfort. Sweat began to drip from my face as the heat rose quickly- when I'd lit this room on fire, I hadn't quite factored on being trapped _in_ it. It had been a way to get vengeance, and to hopefully throw my pursuers off track- obviously that hadn't worked. Now my choices were down to being burned alive or turned into a Bella Bloodshake. I had _seconds_ before the vamps arrived at the door, maybe minutes before they knocked the doors down if I was lucky. Just as I was about to hand myself over to the vamps- having my neck broken sounded quicker and less painful than becoming a barbeque crisp- I caught sight of an air vent just below a sizzling tapestry.

"Oh, thank you sweet Jesus," I muttered, striding over to what could very well be my salvation. A couple well aimed kicks later, and I was in. After carefully replacing the air vent, and crawling no more than about ten yards, I heard a loud thunk behind me from the burning room, the sound of a door giving way. I winced, and crawled faster, blessing my skinny, emancipated state for the first time in my life. I lasted for less than five minutes before I passed out.

When I came to, it could have been minutes, hours or days later, and at the moment, I really didn't care. I was alive, and if I wasn't afraid that doing so would bring an army of angry vamps down on me, I would have sat up and started shouting "Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!" at the top of my lungs. When I came down from my moment of bliss, however, I sobered up. I may have not died yet, but I would soon if I didn't manage to get out of this castle. My throat was parched, I had some minor burns on my hands, I was starving, but worse of all, I was trapped in an air vent with God only knows how many bloodsucking monsters. I think I probably would have broken down and cried hysterically had I not heard voices traveling to where I lay, exhausted. Rolling over on my hands and knees, I crawled as silently as I could manage over to where the voices came from. Really, it's amazing how well sound can travel in a ventilation system. Right under me was another air vent and I scrambled over to see what was under it.

My heart skipped a beat. Right below me, I could see what I estimated to be about twenty vampires. They seemed to be waiting for something. In front of them I could see the blonde and the wavy haired vampires from the tapestry, and, of course, _him._ At least the pull was gone now and hopefully for good.

"Aro, stop pacing. Jane will have news soon," the wavy haired vampire said in a bored tone. Well, at least now I knew _he_ was named Aro, so I could stop referring to him as _he_ in my head. As if on cue, I heard the sound of a door opening and in stepped an angelic looking golden haired vampire girl who looked about thirteen and who bore a strong resemblance to Driver Boy. I assumed she was Jane.

"Master," she said respectfully, bowing her head slightly as she came to a stop a few feet from Aro.

"Well? Any news?" he asked impatiently.

"The tapestry room is completely destroyed, Master. There is no way she could have escaped."

"You see, Aro? That just confirms what I've been telling you all along. She's dead- it would have been impossible for her to survive that fire." The blonde vampire insisted. I almost snorted.

"It should have been _impossible_ for her to take a vampire by surprise and almost gouge his eyes out! It should have been _impossible_ for her to leave that room! Yet she managed it! There is no such thing as impossibility where that girl is concerned!" He shouted. The room fell silent.

"So young, yet so extraordinary," Aro murmured after a moment. "How is it that one little human could do so much damage?" He suddenly turned to look at Heidi.

"You. You, Demetri, Felix and Alec met her. How do you think she did it?" He demanded. Heidi came forward and held out her hand, but the blonde vampire stopped her.

"It'd be nice if you said it out loud, so those of us don't have gifts could hear too," he said.

"Very well then, master," Heidi glanced around nervously. "I-I don't know how she managed to escape, but she wasn't like other humans. Bella- that's what I heard the boy calling her- it was almost like she could sense what I was, that I was dangerous when she first saw me. My gift didn't work on her like it did on the boy- the only reason she came at all was because she was concerned for the boy. When he wouldn't leave, she came with him to Italy."

"Your gift didn't work on her?" Aro asked, sounding stunned.

"No, master. If anything, her instincts seemed to get stronger."

"She was also immune to our beauty," Felix added.

"And when she saw the castle…she didn't want to come inside. I could see it," Driver Boy, or Alec, said. He frowned. "It almost looked like she was in pain…I've never seen a more conflicted human in my life. I swear, if I didn't know better I would have thought she was being torn in half on the inside." _What an accurate description,_ I thought dryly.

"Fascinating," Aro whispered, and his gaze became almost…longing? I didn't have time to ponder that specific expression because at that moment, the air vent under my knees creaked loudly. I froze, scrambling to get off but it was too late- the old, rusty metal underneath me gave way, sending me tumbling towards the ground. I covered my head, and mentally prepared myself to crash to the ground, praying to every deity I could think of that my death by gravity would be quick and painless…but it never came. Instead, I found myself safely encased in a pair of stone cold arms. Slowly, reluctantly, I lifted raised my gaze to meet a pair of shocked ruby eyes.

**A/N: Super long chapter, so please review! Just so you know, Heidi's gift is to be able to put humans into a sort of trance, so that their instincts will be dulled. Review if you want Chapter 3 to come faster!**


	3. My Fate is Decided

**AN: Thank you to all the people who took the time to review and to read my story! Sorry if last chapter was a little rushed- I just really wanted to get to the action. The way I pictured the scene in my head and the way it came out on words wasn't exactly the same, but try to keep up with my crazy thoughts as best you can!**

BPOV

_This cannot be happening. This cannot be happening. This cannot be happening._

My brain tried desperately to catch up with what had just happened, but the reality was so repulsive that I just closed my eyes and tried to shut it all out. If I had known back then just how much it took to surprise vampires, never mind how rare it was to stun a whole group of them into shell-shocked silence, I probably would have savored the moment more.

Now, I had never considered myself much of a religious person. God had just let me down too many times for me to have much faith in him anymore. However, because this was a special occasion I started praying for the billionth time today (a new record) that when I opened my eyes, all the big scary vamps would magically disappear and I would wake up in Jake's house to find it was all a bad dream. That hope was dashed as soon as I heard Blondie speak. Obviously, fate was out to get me, since I had to be the only person in the world who could manage to escape a whole room of hungry vamps, and then get caught again thanks to a tendency to eavesdrop and a rusty air-vent.

"Well, well," he sneered, "look who showed up?" Keeping my eyes closed, I sighed resignedly. "I don't suppose you'll just let me go, and we can forget this all ever happened?"

"I'm afraid not," Aro said regretfully. "You see, we _do_ have rules we need to follow." Great. And I'm guessing a human who knows about the existence of vampires goes against said rules. Well then, goodbye life. It was nice knowing you, even if you could be a real bitch sometimes.

"It's a shame that all lawyers supposedly go to Hell, since I could really use one to get myself into heaven." I muttered, finally opening my eyes to find Aro staring at me intently. He let out a surprised laugh and set me down on my feet. Behind me, I vaguely heard Felix cough to conceal a chuckle.

"I think we can bend the rules a little and keep you around for a little while longer," he grinned, clasping his hands together cheerfully. I noticed the other vampires in the room exchange expressions of surprise. "I think I speak for everyone when I say you're the most excitement Volterra has seen in a very long time. Oh, and I almost forgot to introduce myself! How rude of me!" He extended a papery-white hand towards me slowly, as if trying not to startle me. "My name is Aro, and these," he motioned towards Blondie and the bored looking vampire, "are my brothers, Caius and Marcus."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I said, not altogether truthfully, eyeing the hand in front of me warily. "You can call me Bella." I raised my hand and he glided forward with grace that would put the best ballet dancers to shame. He clasped my hand with both of his, enclosing it completely, and caressing my skin gently. My eyelids fluttered slightly in pleasure at the cooling sensation his hands brought to the burns from the fire, and I sighed. A look of intense concentration settled on his face, and then changed to confusion and frustration, before going back to the benign mask that was present on his face before. Releasing my hand, he said finally, "It would appear that you are immune to my gift as well, in addition to Heidi's."

"Um, nice to know. Would you mind explaining what exactly your 'gift' is?" I asked. Aro smiled, his troubled look now gone completely, before answering. "I have the gift of reading every thought an individual has ever had through a single touch. You seem to be the exception. Marcus can read the emotional ties between people. Caius, alas, has no gift."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," I mumbled, glancing at the scowling vampire who now looked like he had swallowed a lemon. "I do believe that he has the ability to look permanently miserable- that can't be _natural_, can it?" This time, Felix couldn't hold back- his loud boom of laughter echoed throughout the room. Demetri and Alec both snickered, Heidi's eyes twinkled in amusement, and more than a few vampires ducked down hiding smirks of agreement. Caius didn't look as amused.

"You forget your place, _human._" He growled menacingly, stepping forward. To my surprise, Aro stepped forward partially shielding me. "Caius," he warned. I shrugged nonchalantly. Hey, if I was going to die, I might as well do it thoroughly, right? And something told me no amount of begging would save my life from this group of vampires. Caius hissed in frustration and surprise.

"Aro, you can't honestly say that you plan on _keeping_ her? The girl's a menace! Think of all the damage and chaos she has brought already. The tapestry room is in ruins…" he whispered so quickly and quietly I had to strain to catch the words.

"Hey, I did the world a favor by burning that room!" I piped in indignantly. Aro turned around facing me. "Whatever do you mean?" He asked calmly.

"Well…" I drawled out, "The tapestries actually showed you all in a favorable light. Obviously, the artist's vision was a little faulty." As soon as the words left my mouth, I cursed myself and my seemingly incontrollable smartass-ness. Way to sign your own death sentence there, Swan. Go insult the vamps who could kill you in under a second- at the rate you're going, you're definitely not going to be winning any awards for intelligence any time soon. Not that I was going to be around anytime soon…but still. Where were my self-preservation instincts when I needed them?

"Every time you open your mouth, you say something wholly unexpected. It makes me wonder- do you ever behave in a predictable, ordinary, normal way?" Aro asked me, one corner of his lips twitching. I shrugged- I was all about honesty. "Would I have survived this long if I behaved in a predictable manner?"

"Touche," he laughed, and I found myself smiling at the sound of it, genuine and rich, before I caught myself. He sobered up abruptly, and said quietly, "Now what am I going to do with you?" The room fell silent once more- I had a feeling everything had been leading up to this moment, the moment of truth, where my fate would be decided. Caius looked outraged. "Have you lost your mind, brother? Do you even need to ask, when the answer is so obvious? Or have you forgotten your own rules? She is a human, who cannot be allowed to live with the knowledge of our kind!"

"If you remember correctly, there is another option for such humans other than death," he murmured, appearing to be in deep thought. Caius looked like someone had just told him Christmas had been canceled, or that it was now vampiric law that all blonde-haired vampires had to dye their hair hot pink.

"Surely you cannot be serious, brother," he said in a hushed whisper. "You cannot be thinking of changing her?"

"Think of the potential, Caius! She is the first human to be immune to my gift, as well as Heidi's. As a human, she is extraordinary- think of what she could be like as an immortal!"

"Wait, wait, wait," I interrupted, finally catching on. "You want me to be a vampire? One of you?" Just to clarify, I added, "One of the undead? A creature of the night? Someone who can't go outside in the sunlight without burning up faster than a marshmallow in fire? I would have to deal with Blondie over there for _eternity?_" Really, that was the deal breaker right there. Marcus spoke up for the first time. "Not exactly. As one of us, you could choose to stay, or leave." His impassive gaze met mine for a second, before a ghost of a smile flitted across his face. "Oh, and sunlight does not harm us. Neither does garlic, crosses, holy water, or wooden stakes, for that matter."

"Stupid Hollywood," I sighed, before turning to Aro, who was watching Marcus with interest. "So these are my only choices? Death or immortality?" He nodded a bit sadly. "As an immortal, Bella, you would have immense speed and strength, and the only way you could die would be to be ripped to pieces and burned. Your senses would increase a hundredfold, as would your ability to think. However, you would never be able to mother a child, you wouldn't be able to walk in the sunlight in public, and you would forever be separated from the human world." I sighed, considering my options- it didn't look like I was going to be a mother either way now. I didn't have anybody that I considered my family- I no longer thought of Renee as my mother. The only real friend I had was Jake, and as with the child situation, even if I didn't choose immortality, I could never see him again. I had always valued my life, and I didn't think I could ever just choose to die- but honestly, the concept of living forever as a bloodthirsty monster made me a bit queasy. I don't know how long had passed, when Aro said gently, "So Bella, I know this must be hard beyond comprehension for you, but I must ask- have you come to a decision yet?" I lifted my head, and met his gaze with my own.

"Time." At his confused gaze, I held up my pointer finger. "Let me explain. As an immortal, a year, or even a decade probably doesn't seem that long to you. I'm asking that you give me a year to come to a decision. I don't have to leave- you could appoint a guard to watch me 24/7, I honestly don't care. This way, I could really think my decision through, and you could have more time to 'study my potential', whatever that means. At the end of a year, I'll have made my decision. It benefits both of us this way," I finished.

"If I may make a comment, Master?" A voice behind me asked, that I recognized as Heidi. Aro nodded his permission. "Surprisingly, I do think Bella has a point. She has intrigued us all, and a year to us means nothing. If that's what she wants, we can give it to her. After all, if she were to become a vampire of her own free will, she will be much less volatile as a newborn." That said, she stepped back. "Very well, Bella, it seems that you have convinced me to give you another year's time as a human," Aro said. "Now we have to settle the question of what guard to appoint you."

"I volunteer to guard Bella, Master," Felix said, grinning menacingly at me. I shivered, recalling how he looked not two hours before, eyes black, crouched and prepared to strike. Nevertheless, I held my head high, and arched an eyebrow cheekily, refusing to show how much he, as well as the rest of the vampires in the room, unnerved me. "You sure you can handle me, Felix?" I asked cockily.

"Shouldn't be much of a problem- I mean, guarding a slow, weak and stupid human- how hard can it be?" He replied arrogantly.

"Oh yeah?" I challenged. "How are your eyes, buddy? Healing okay?" I was playing with fire right now, but jeez, the egos in this room were suffocating me. Felix stared at me for a second in surprise, but then burst out into laughter. "I like her! She's feisty!" Winking at me, he added, "They're good as new, but thanks for asking. It'll take a lot more than a plain old metal knife to take _me_ out." Behind him, Heidi rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. You're all brawn and no brains. I also volunteer to guard Bella, since it's my fault she's here in the first place." I was startled at the approval and respect in her eyes as she nodded at me. If she wasn't a lying, bloodsucking vampire who lured people to their deaths, I might actually like her. Behind her, Demetri snorted in disgust, while Jane looked on a blank expression on her face. Alec was staring at me curiously, as if trying to decide if I was insane, or very stupid. I didn't blame him- I'd been trying to question my sanity myself the moment I followed Heidi down that dark alley. My attention was pulled back to Aro when he suddenly caressed my face softly with the back of his hand. He chuckled at my widened eyes, explaining his eccentric behavior with a simple, "Just checking." I breathed out a sigh of relief that apparently God had not abandoned me after all, allowing my thoughts to remain my own.

"Now that we've established that you're going to be living with us, it's only proper that you become acquainted with the rest of my family," he said with a warm smile. "Unfortunately, I have other matters to attend to, so if you'll excuse me," he departed with a last nod towards me, Caius and Marcus following behind him. I stared after him for a moment, feeling a curious sense of loss and relief at the same time. Relief because the man still terrified me, however much I tried not to show it. Loss, because for some unknown reason, he made me feel safe. Great- just another thing to add to my growing list of why I may possibly be going insane- the leader of this dangerous vampire coven made me feel _safe._ I could have punched myself, and probably would have if Felix hadn't interrupted my thoughts.

"So, you already know me, Heidi, Demetri and Alec, right?"

"Yep, Brawn, Beauty, Brains and Driver Boy, gotcha." I affirmed, making several other vampires snicker.

"Nice, Felix, even the human can tell that I'm smarter than you." Demetri smirked.

"One of these days, Demetri, I will finally beat you in a fight, and then you won't be so smug then." I ignored their banter, a tingling in the back of my neck making me turn around to find Jane, the little blonde vampire glaring at me harshly. Alec placed a cautionary hand on her shoulder as Demetri and Felix fell silent.

"Why won't it work?" She growled, looking like she would attack and rip my throat out at any moment, before turning around and storming out of the room. Alec sent me an apologetic glance before following her. I turned around to find the rest of the vampires looking at me like I had just sprouted wings and a second head.

"What?" I asked. Felix just shook his head.

"Oh man, you are _so_ lucky her gift doesn't work on you." He said, gazing at me in wonder.

"Well, Aro will be thrilled." Heidi murmured quietly. "You've just given him another reason to want you for his guard."

"What is it with vampires and gifts? And what guard?" I snapped, frustrated that they all seemed to know something I didn't. A tall vampire who looked to be in about his forties with sandy hair gazed at me curiously. "You could hear us, couldn't you?" Heidi suddenly covered her mouth as if just realizing something.

"I didn't even realize! But then how could you have understood us?" She asked me. By this time I was so fed up with their cryptic shit that I just plopped myself on the ground, glaring at them all. "Okay, I have no idea what is going on here, and what you're all talking about. So one of you had better start explaining stuff to me before I have a nervous breakdown." Tall vamp gazed at me before nodding. "I think we'd better start with introductions. My name is Santiago and you already know who Alec, Felix, Heidi, Demetri and Jane are. This here is Corin," he pointed to a male who looked to be in his twenties with medium length dark golden blonde hair who nodded at me. "His gift is persuasion." I offered him a half- hearted smile and we went on to the next person. Within ten minutes, I had also been introduced to Chelsea (who could manipulate people's emotional ties to one another), her mate Afton (whose gift was telekinesis), Renata (who was a physical shield) and about 15 others whose names I forgot within two minutes of learning them. I really only kept track of the gifted ones. I also learned that Demetri could track anyone down, Jane could cause someone the worse agony, Alec could cut off a person's senses completely and Heidi could put people (especially males) into a sort of trance. By the time he finished, my head was spinning.

"Anyway, together we make up the Volturi, with Aro, Caius and Marcus in charge," Santiago concluded. "Our job is to ensure the secrecy of the supernatural world and to eliminate any risks to it. Usually when a human discovers what we are, we end up getting rid of them. However, occasionally a human would rather become one of us than die. If Aro sees potential in them, they come to work for us. If we find them worthy, we change them. More often, however…"

"They become desert," Afton finished with a cruel smirk.

"Delightful," I muttered. "So, Aro saw some potential in me?" I asked. Chelsea studied me intently. "He saw more than 'some potential' in you, Bella. In the six hundred years I've been here, I've never met or heard of anyone who Aro's gift didn't work on. Him offering a spot on the guard right away as he did with you is exceedingly rare- the only other time he's done that was with Jane and Alec. And it's not just his gift you're immune to, either- Heidi's didn't affect you at all, Jane's didn't either, and both Demetri and I both can't sense you. If you were to join the guard, Bella, you would more than likely become his crown jewel, so to speak. You see, the ability of the Volturi to maintain its power after all these millennia has depended on the gifted vampires in his guard. A vampire who can repel other gifts would be invaluable to him. Not to mention, as a human, you shouldn't be able to understand us when we're talking at vampire speed. Your senses are remarkably developed for a human." I stood still as all this sunk in.

"Would you mind taking me to where I'm going to stay? I really, really need to take a nap before I end up fainting." I said finally.

"Of course, Bella. I understand this is probably hard to take in all at once," Heidi said sympathetically. I followed her numbly down a corridor and up some stairs. She opened a door on the left before leaving me by myself. I headed straight to the bathroom and began stripping mechanically. There was a full length mirror in it, and as I stared at my emaciated naked body, covered in sweat, dirt, and ashes, I let the stress and fear of the last 48 hours wash over me as I sobbed on the bathtub floor, the hot shower water flowing over me.

**A/N: There wasn't as much action in this chapter as in the previous one, but I still feel it is very important. I'm trying to make the Volturi as in character as possible, while adding a few twists of my own. Felix will be more of an Emmett figure, and him, Heidi, and maybe Chelsea will come around quickly, but the rest of the guard will be much more hesitant to accept Bella. Please review- your support means so much to me! **


	4. The Morning After From Hell

**A/N: I do apologize for the very long wait. I had the biggest writer's block ever and no matter what I did the chapter came out super boring. Not that this is much better, but my previous attempts had too much angst for my taste. Then real life, classes, and exams got in the way. I can't promise when the next chapter is going to be, though I'm fairly certain the wait will be much shorter. However, I thank all those who favorited/alerted/reviewed this story. I admit, the reviews had a fundamental part in making me get off my ass and write again. So drop me a note if you have the time! **

I woke up to Egyptian cotton pajamas, silk bed sheets and the softest bed I had ever been on. After looking around the lavish room that looked more than fit for an emperor, I slowly came to the realization that yesterday wasn't just a nightmare caused by seeing too many bad horror movies with Jake. After coming to this conclusion, I did what any sensible, self-respecting woman would do. Taking a deep breath—for I would need it—I started swearing like hell (in my head because while I couldn't care less if I offended some uppity vampire, cough Caius cough, I could see the value not dying in horribly painful ways because I pissed off the wrong person) while alternating between punching the stuffing out of my pillows and throwing them at walls. Halfway between cursing Caius' ancestors for not being able to keep it in their pants and thus inflicting their stupid, lemon-faced offspring on the rest of the world and wondering which idiot deity up there decided it was a good idea to come up with a species and give them every evolutional advantage known to man (including but not limited to super strength, speed, senses, supernatural powers and being damn hard to kill), a knock on the door broke me out of my rant. Yanking the door open, I came face to face with a bemused looking Demetri.

"What?!" I snapped grumpily. Stupid vampires. They'd already ruined my life; couldn't they show me a bit of consideration and leave me to my temper tantrum in _peace?_ Demetri looked startled; it had probably been a few centuries since a human dared to snap at him. Well, he better get used to it. My life at this point wasn't much of a life anymore and really, the only thing I had left for me was my dignity. I'd be damned if I gave that up. While I may have been too shocked/hurt/scared (hey, I'd like to see you face vampire royalty, almost _die_, and say otherwise) for anger to really set in yesterday, they were kidding themselves if they thought I would make nice with a bunch of murderers anytime soon. Besides, from what I could see, Aro was too fascinated by me to let a bit of rudeness change his mind about letting me live. Not to mention he'd be a piss-poor ruler if he let a bit of rudeness faze him. So long as I kept the majority of the insults and swearing in the privacy of my head, I should be fine.

"You do realize that we can hear you, right?" He asked dryly. I had to give him props for recovering quickly.

"So I'm not a morning person. Your point?" I grumbled. "Can I help you with something?"

"Aro requests your presence," he answered, "I've been assigned as your tour guide."

"Give me twenty minutes." With that, I slammed the door in his face. Making my way towards the closets, I began yanking out some clothes to wear. Initially, I'd been secretly delighted at the lovely clothes I had to choose from. I may not know shit about fashion and designer labels, but even I know quality when I see it. This happiness was then promptly ruined by the realization that every piece of clothing, from jeans to shirts to shoes to _bras and underwear_, were in my exact size. Dropping the black lacy bra I was holding, I shivered as I was suddenly overcome by an urge to take a shower and scrub as hard as possible.

"Creep," I muttered. I didn't even want to know how they managed to stock my closet full of clothes in my size _while I was sleeping._ I also didn't want to know how they discovered my size in the first place. Another shudder ran through me as an image popped into my head of Aro staring at my chest thoughtfully judging whether I was a B or C cup while Heidi stared at my hips and deciding I was about a petite size 4, before I shoved it away. Yep, definitely didn't want to know. At that moment I was gladder than ever that Aro couldn't read my mind since my thoughts towards him were less than charitable at the moment. They ranged between _fucking vampire pervert_ and _man, with that gift of his I bet he's the biggest voyeur of all time._

After showering and dressing in the most conservative, modest, skin-covering clothes I could find in the closet, since the last thing I wanted to do was flaunt that oh-so-bite-a-licious skin I had, I opened the door to find Demetri patiently waiting outside. He raised an eyebrow at the designer hoodie with the hood up, beanie I had on under that, gigantic sunglasses covering my eyes, scarf wrapped seven times around my lower face and neck, thick elbow length gloves, jeans, knee length socks and designer boots I had on. I simply crossed my arms in response, daring him to say a word. Shaking his head, he turned away (smart guy) and muttered something about mortals getting stranger each generation and Heidi having a field day with me.

After a five minute walk—seriously, how big was this place? It was like a maze—we finally reached the dining hall. Why they would need a dining hall, I had no clue considering that their meals tended to be alive and running.

Like everything else in this godforsaken place, the dining hall was ostentatious, ornate and overly done. The table could probably fit around fifty people, though right now only Aro, Marcus and Caius were present.

"Well, look who finally made it here," a voice sneered. I looked up to see Caius glaring at me. Well, nice to see that his attitude problem was apparently a 24/7 thing. Not. "We have better things to spend our budget on than replacing the pillows you destroy in your childish fits."

"Now, now Caius. It's understandable that she would be—ah—a bit upset with us," Aro chided gently, though amusement tinted his voice. I caught the side of his mouth twitching as he took in my apparel. Scowling, I looked away. Well, if they ever changed their minds about eating me the least I could do was not make it easy for them. If they wanted to make me into a Bella-bloodshake, they'd have to go through about fifty layers of clothing first. "Good morning Bella. I hope you slept well?" He asked politely. "Feel free to take a seat wherever you'd like."

Bloodsucking-monster straight out of a cheap horror novel or not, manners drilled into me by Charlie at a very young age prevented me from being rude—at least to their faces. After nodding at Marcus, and making a funny little jerking motion of my head that could have possibly, maybe, sort-of passed for an attempt at a nod at Caius, I muttered a thank you at Aro. I then took a seat as far away from them as possible without seeming overly rude, which was about halfway down the table. At a nod from Aro, some nameless vampire I hadn't met yet artfully arranged a set of silver platters around me. Staring down at the numerous forks, spoons and knives in front of me, each of which could probably cover the cost of an entire year's food back in the US, I shrugged and picked up the most normal sized fork. Snatching the platter closest to me, which appeared to be some kind of crepes lightly garnished with whipped crème, I took a bite.

And promptly melted. It was like an orgasm in the mouth, no joke, and my taste buds practically sang and danced in my mouth. Try as I might, I couldn't suppress a moan. To a half-starved girl who hadn't had even half-decent food in years, and hadn't had such good food in her _life_, this was like…like…heaven. If nirvana was even half good, then I finally understood what those Buddhist monks I'd seen once were talking about.

"I trust the food is to your taste, Bella?" An amused voice asked. Three guesses who that was. I hadn't even been here too days and I could already tell who was talking from tone of voice alone. If the voice was scathing/sarcastic/furious, it was Caius. If there was no voice, it was Marcus. And if the voice sounded like an amused owner talking indulgently to a favored pet, then it was Aro.

Feeling somewhat charitable, since at least they had the decency to feed me properly, I turned and replied, "My heartfelt compliments to your chef." And then, because I wasn't feeling _that_ charitable and you never knew with vampires, I added on, waving my fork threateningly, "If the chef happens to be human and you decide to eat him (the 'thus, depriving me of this wonderful, amazing, mouthwatering food' went unsaid), I _swear I will discover a way to maim you with silverware._" With that, I decided enough time had been wasted by not eating, and went back to inhaling my breakfast at a speed that would make Renee's old industrial strength vacuum jealous, all the while ignoring the indignant sputters, shocked silences, and suspicious-sounding coughs behind me.

After two plates of crepes, a plate of sausages, bacon and eggs, two stacks of pancakes, two bread rolls topped with jam and a plate of biscotti, I finally slowed down eating enough to begin comprehending the world around me. Say what you like about me exaggerating the amount I eat, especially after starving for so long, but I take great pride in my industrial strength stomach that can beat even Jake's when it comes to sheer tenacity. I've adapted to never knowing when my next meal will be and my body has adapted with me. Any time I have a chance to pig out, my body helps me along by fitting in as much as possible, but I digress. Anyway, after starting on a bowl of fruit to finish off my meal, I looked up to the whispers around me.

"…is it _normal_ for humans to eat so much?"

"I do not know, brother, but from what I have seen she eats at a speed that surpasses all but those who engage in these so-called 'food eating contests."

"…food eating contests? Mortals are strange indeed. Perhaps she was a former contestant?"

"Wow. I hardly even saw that pancake disappear? Perhaps this is what Master sees in her?"

I pouted through a mouthful of porridge. Well, that was just insulting. Sure, probably not everyone was informed of what my gift was, but to think that Aro took an interest in me just for my eating ability? Sure made a girl feel good.

"Now that that's settled, I thought we could use this opportunity to get to know each other a little better. From what I understand, meals are often a bonding time for humans," Aro said, still with that creepy smile on his face. Sure, he was hot. I have yet to see a vampire that wasn't drop-dead gorgeous model material, which made me think that being unnaturally good looking was part of the deal for being a vampire. This, I pondered thoughtfully, was really the height of unfairness.

The sound of a throat clearing brought me back to reality. I coughed, slightly embarrassed. "Um, yes. How about we each ask each other questions?"

"Delightful!" Aro exclaimed. I stared at him. "Ladies first," he added generously. To the side, I heard Caius cough dubiously. Glaring at him, I resisted the urge to pout. I could be a lady if I _wanted._

"How old are you guys?" I blurted out then blushed slightly. Aro smiled at me. "Oh, don't be embarrassed dear, it's a perfectly reasonable question. Well, Marcus and I are around a millennia and a half old while Caius is around a thousand two hundred years old. Now as to my question; I don't believe I've received your full name?"

"Isabella Marie Swan. And I'm twenty one, in case you were wondering." I added. "Now then, next question. How the hell do you remain undiscovered? _Someone's_ got to notice all the disappearances and trace them here."

"Stupid human," this time it was Caius who answered, "I know this may be hard for your undeveloped miniscule brain to comprehend, but we do take care to pick our meals carefully. The people who arrive in our 'tours' tend to be those who won't be missed; recluses, people with no family, unemployed, people who live in bad neighborhoods, the homeless…" I scowled.

"Our next question for you is, do you have any family members or other people who would look for you?" Aro cut in.

"No; see, my dad was a police officer and he died when I was young. After he died my mom moved on; unfortunately for her, the guy she moved on with is a total scumbag who got her addicted to heroin. I haven't seen either of them for years," I answered, casually avoiding the second part of Aro's question. No way in hell was I gonna tell them about Jake.

"Now, how many vampires are there? Approximately," I asked.

"Hmm…by our last estimate, I would guess around a thousand five hundred. Of those, perhaps a quarter of them have some form of gift. Of course, that number is constantly changing." Aro replied. And so the questioning went on and on until my oatmeal was finished and throat was parched. Finally, Aro stood up, Caius and Marcus with him, and smiled. "Well then! I think that's enough for today. Now, I think I'll have Heidi give you a tour of this place." With that, he turned around and left. A few seconds later, Heidi walked through the door. She took one look at me and her right eye twitched.

"_What_…_the flying fuck do you think you're wearing?!"_


End file.
